All the leaves on our fair city’s trees have pretty much given up by now, having long since blown off and been trampled by a million pairs of winter boots stomping up the sidewalk. The only bright spots of greenery left now are from the Christmas tree vendors. Long lines of pine flank the sidewalk, which is a nice respite from the usual towering piles of trash and makes you feel like you’re walking into an actual winter wonderland instead of some kind of garbage hell world. In the absence of bright plants, the color palette of our city’s denizens tends to neutralize around this time as well. Suddenly everyone is in black and brown and grey, which makes me feel very at home. We are all cold and we are all dressed in black—ahh, kinship.

Anyway, once everyone has shed their vibrant skins for the winter the odd bits of color you do see are all the more conspicuous. Take this guy, for example. His outfit is, in a word, sensible. This man is clearly well-prepared for whatever gusts of wind and crappy drizzle may come his way with his beanie and his rugged-looking brown overcoat. The leather bag will keep whatever secrets lie inside it safe from the elements, and choosing to wear muted colors is an excellent way to keep oneself from attracting attention when all one wants to do is get wherever one is going in a hurry. But the camouflage effect is lost in this case, because wherever this man is going requires a bag full of orchids. Just as a vase full of flowers is a surefire way to brighten up a room, a bundle of them meandering down the sidewalk will lighten the mood of any New York City street.